


Independent Together

by weebutwicked



Category: Fate: The Winx Saga (TV)
Genre: Everybody needs an adult, Goldren Trio FTW, Inexperienced Children running an entire school, Multi, Soldiers trying to be teachers, Teachers trying to be parental
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29054982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weebutwicked/pseuds/weebutwicked
Summary: They didn't know how to be what the school needed, they were soldiers. That had been what they were trained to be. Now they were expected to lead and be exemplary while at it.Pre-series not long after Aster Dell, featuring young Sky, Terra and Sam.
Relationships: Ben Harvey & Sky, Farah Dowling & Saul Silva & Ben Harvey, Farah Dowling & Sky, Saul Silva & Sky
Comments: 37
Kudos: 101





	1. A New Dawn

Farah Dowling stood at the window to her new office and watched the grounds of her school with mild apprehension. Things were nearly ready for another year at Alfea, the first since Rosalind's "death" and Andreas' all too real one, the first time Farah would be presented as the new headmistress to all the realm in hope that she could convince them to entrust its children into her care.

Rosalind had... not been well-liked towards the end, Alfea's reputation was tarnished. It had become a school to train soldiers, not teach students. Fairies became weapons, not people. She had become so obsessed with her zealot cause that she forgot about everything else. Nobody wanted to be associated with that, Farah hardly blamed them.

Still, she had some hope. The number of students currently registered for the fall semester was frankly, staggering, in Farah's mind. Clearly too many were eager for a chance of pace and style at Alfea that they were willing to throw their kids at anyone as long as it wasn't Rosalind.

They were expecting better, proper teachings. A new dawn.

She, Saul and Ben could hardly be considered teachers, and truthfully, all three of them were slightly dreading it, were possibly a little terrified by it. They didn't know how to be what the school needed, they were soldiers. That had been what they were trained to be. Now they were expected to lead and be exemplary while at it.

She was Rosalind's protege, yes, and was always going to become headmistress someday, but schoolmarm training had been far less important to Rosalind in the final years. Just as the school fell into disarray, so had anything that was not related to the Burned Ones. Farah felt as if she lacked half the training for this.

Once upon a time, what seemed like a hundred years ago now, she had been a student at Alfea. She knew the basics of what was needed of her but it had been many years since then. She had done her best and learned what she could, Farah just hoped it was enough now. Once Rosalind had made them into her little Light Battalion, it was all they knew.

Shaking that off of their backs was going to be a process, given what they'd seen... and what they had done. How could they be trusted to protect hundreds of children when they had -- there was no one else though, the school needed balance again. She was going to have to use what she remembered and feel out the rest.

Farah supposed it was a good thing that feelings and thoughts were her speciality then, the mind was a powerful thing and it could do so much when handled properly and with care. To think her original dominant ability had been telekinesis and now she could do _so_ much more. She only hoped she could be half of what they were expecting of her.

The fairy she had been before the soldier had to still be in there... _somewhere_. Probably very deep down but, Farah had gone deeper than that to find herself once, she could do so again. Her students would _never_ have another Rosalind on their hands, not as long as she lived.

Rubbing her hands together, Farah stepped down from the small side chamber and towards her shiny new mahogany desk. Solaria was really pumping money into this revitalization, weren't they? Luna clearly wanted the dark mark on her bright land wiped away and hoped that buying her way into the future might fix it.

Of _course_ Luna would think money could buy it all away, she always had. Prissy bitch.

Now, to the next task at hand. Cleaning up the literal mess left behind in the frenzy to cover everything up. Solaria was only too eager to sweep it under the rug but couldn't be bothered to do any of the actual bloody sweeping given the state of things. They just wanted as much evidence as they could smuggle away and quickly.

There were hundreds of books and thousands of files laying about the office, it looked as if the place had been raided by animals. On the floor, knocked off shelves, scattered among the upper level. Honestly, it was enough to give her headache, Farah prided herself on her extreme organization so **none** of this would do.

Glancing down at her watch, Farah gathered she had a few more hours before the faculty started arriving. Plenty of time to get sorted when you were a master telekinetic. Individual filing was for humans and assistants. Besides, it was fun being able to show off, even if the only person you were showing off for was yourself...

Sighing gently, Farah straightened up and raised both hands, palms up, and began to lift the first of the books from the ground floor into the air, directing the organization of them with two fingers as they flew through the air. Unknown tomes were brought closer for a quick look before getting sent off to another home. 

Rosalind had a lot of unknowns in her office. They'd have to be gone through thoroughly at a later date so those who shouldn't, didn't get their hands on them. She knew the guards hadn't got it all.

Farah kept at it until the lower level had been completely cleared, the dust was getting to her and she couldn't stop sneezing. Waving her hand in front of her face, Farah decided to start setting up the back room with all of her plants, that might help clear out her sinus' for a while. 

Plus, Ben's children were also earth fairies and she wanted to make a good impression on them this year. They knew Auntie Farah, not Headmistress Dowling.

Earth fairy magic was the second type she'd learned to use at Alfea. It had been an escape that she could use to channel all of the rage and pain she felt from herself and others every day into something that gave back and continued to grow. As she got older, her abilities with the mind grew stronger. Uncontrollable. It hurt people and it hurt her.

Getting her hands in the dirt helped her remember what her safe place was. She couldn't hurt people in there.

The garden.

By the time she'd been invited or brought to Alfea, she couldn't remember what happened, Farah was struggling to find a reason to keep going. The first time she'd ever brought a plant back to life on her own she cried. Alfea gave her that and more. Not Rosalind, but Alfea. She owed it to the spirit and magic of the school to give it her all and that's what she was going to do.

Anger and disgust at herself aside, she would do it.


	2. Unexpected Fatherhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saul needs an adult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have aged Sky and Sam up a bit for the sake of the story, it's hard to imagine three babies belonging to three bigger babies and trying to run a school.
> 
> Big thanks to heart_full_of_magic for giving this one a quick read ahead of time and inspiring the Inexperienced Children running a school tag. Lots of love!

Saul was on his way back to Alfea early, he was originally set to arrive the same day Ben had been scheduled to get in but was contacted by a friend on Erakylon who had been... close to Andreas, his presence was requested so he detoured. He couldn't not go after what he had done.

Of everything he imagined hearing though, the last thing on that list he had been expecting to hear was that Andreas' young son was being entrusted to him, to raise and to train per Andreas' wishes in the event that something should happen to him. Fuck him indeed.

Saul didn't know what to say, he was a soldier and barely knew the first thing about raising a kid. Hell, he had to be reminded to eat or sleep on a regular basis himself. He had a phone alarm and everything for that shit! The orders were clear though, dotted and signed in all the right places.

This kid, Sky, was coming to Alfea with him whether he liked it or not and when they brought the kid into view, Saul saw a chance to right his wrong. A scared kid who needed guidance. That was a shitty way to think about it but Sky was so young and barely knew his father, that was Rosalind's fault. 

But the loss of Sky's father, now that was his. He had to make it right.

Alfea was, would be, the best place for him. Between the three of them, Sky would be in the best of hands, Saul trusted in that. He had to. They would be okay and so would this kid. With the support and love in place, Sky would have all of his father's good qualities and none of the bad.

He would not become a soldier as they had, wouldn't be broken into mangled little bits and rewired into something that sometimes now felt ugly, Sky would become a specialist... in time. Meant to protect and fight for Alfea and its students. A good soul and friend to all. First, he would just be a kid though.

Speaking of the school, Saul briefly wondered what Farah and Ben would think of all of this. Ben loved kids, naturally, he had two of his own. Farah was always good with kids and now she had a whole school of them. Saul was... he didn't really know any kids actually. Not true, he two Sam and Terra but, they were Ben's kids.

They weren't real children, they were Sam and Terra. This... would be interesting.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Saul waved at Sky awkwardly. "Hey, Sky. I'm Saul, you can call me Silva. I'm -- was friends with your dad. Um, so your caretakers here have said that you can go on a special trip... far away from here, to come live and train at a magical school called Alfea..." Did Sky even understand what he was saying?

Fairies, he was bad at this. 

He was the adult here, he could do this. What would Ben and Farah do? Aside from laugh at him because he was so fucking bad at this. They would do that. He should be nice and ask questions and let Sky come to him. "Would that be okay with you?" There, he did it. First question down.

Sky just stared at him, but Saul could tell he was itching to run off by how fidgety he was, couldn't blame him really. Sky hadn't had much to pack it looked like, just a small rucksack and a few books. Must have been sent there with the basics and cared for to the best of their ability but now that Saul had been found, it was time to pass the torch so to speak. 

"-- It's a really cool school. Where your dad and I went when we were a little older than you, made lots of friends and ate good food and learned how to play with cool swords..." Also, developed insomnia, alcohol poisoning and hypothermia on at _least_ two occasions but that was typically due to their own stupidity.

Why did he tell the kid about the swords? 

It seemed to make the kid's eyes go wide though, so maybe he thought that was cool. "So, did you want to come? If we leave now we'll make it in time for dinner. I don't know about you but I'm pretty hungry. I cannot promise there will be but there _might_ be chips involved."

That did it, Sky was a chips guy after all. Who knew this kid stuff was so easy? Bribery.

Patting the young man on the back, Saul smiled as they left the boarding house and got into the jeep. "Some of your dad's other friends are gonna be there too, there's Ben, he's an earth fairy. He's got two kids probably about your age, well, Terra's a baby but, Sam should be close..." Kids liked other kids, right?

Farah was already at the school, she'd gone ahead to set up. Who knew what the state of the school was after everything that had happened. Saul heard that it had been ransacked by Solarian guards to search for anything that might have led to how Rosalind had passed, what was known of the Burned Ones.

She was going to have a mess on her hands and he didn't envy her one bit. Saul hated paperwork with every fibre of his being, much happier to be doing the fighting and not the bureaucratics of it all. Ben likes rules and order, he used to like paperwork. That was a him thing, not a them thing.

Okay, it was a two-thirds of them thing.

Buckling Sky in the back of the jeep, bless the ladies for providing a booster seat for him cuz he did not arrive with one, and then he was back on the road. Sky seemed like a quiet, reserved kid, hardly asking any of the 800 questions Saul had been expecting to get blasted with.

Then again he was _three_.

Maybe he just liked to keep his own counsel, Saul knew that he did and Andreas was like that too towards the end. They all had grown to be close but it had taken a long time for that level of trust and support to slide into place, each of the team having their own inner demons to sort first.

Or in Andreas' case, perhaps never. What did they _really_ know about the man who had been their brother, what parts of his tales were truths and where did the lies begin? When did they begin? Had he been fooling them all of the years they were together? How did they miss it?

It kept Saul up at night, many, many nights. He just kept playing what happened over and over in his mind and while Saul knew he did the right thing, it still _hurt_. Out of all of the battalion, Saul had been the closest to Andreas. His deception felt like he'd been stabbed in the gut by his brother, how did you heal from something like guided mass murder?

Could they even heal what they'd done?

At some point Sky fell asleep, Saul checking in on him in the rearview mirror every hour as it got darker. Is this vaguely what parenting was like, obsessively watching children to make sure they were still.... breathing? Seemed really inconvenient and yet he kept doing it out of reflex.  
Those two were going to pick on him mercilessly if they found out.

Saul continued to drive through the night, it would have been easier just to use a gateway to get there but this gave him more freedom, more excuses to be out of contact while he sorted shit out inside his head. Plus, you could carry a lot more in a jeep than you could in your pockets, like beer. You can only carry at most three of those in your pockets.

Could carry whole shops of it in the boot of a car.

After the first layers of dust settled on the Aster Dell case, he had practically packed a case and took off. He just needed to get the fuck out of there and when he left, he didn't care if he ever saw that school again. Stayed pretty heated and stubborn those first few weeks, wouldn't answer any calls, just kept driving.

But it was hard to not hear what was going on with the school, even in the middle of nowhere. Queen Luna talking about putting their dark days of the Burned Ones behind them and looking towards the light, of announcing Farah as the new Headmistress of Alfea, of celebrating their heroic efforts for the cause.

That was all fine and dandy, they would become teachers and try and would try to do a hell of a lot of good for the rest of their lives to offset the biggest bad they could have ever done. Aster Dell was going to haunt them forever. Especially if Luna had anything to say about it, she had always been bitter not to be picked for Rosalind's A team. 

Fortunately, he did not deal with her. Or they would all probably be in the Solarian jail.

Maybe, just maybe though, with time it would smart a lot less. They didn't know, plain and simple, and if they would have, never would have gone through with it, no matter what Rosalind did to them. Having these kids around might actually do them some good, well, him some good. He would go to war for Farah and Ben, they would for him.

New children, new students, new people to protect. It was a worthy cause. Just like making sure Sky had the best upbringing he could. Saul hadn't had the best childhood, it wasn't something he talked about and was just glad to have gotten to Alfea and found his way in the end.

Hopefully, Sky could have that too. Maybe even better than they had all had it. That's something adults said right, that they hoped the generations behind them were better off? Farah would make sure of that. She would be the best headmistress Alfea ever had, Rosalind would just be a shitty footnote in history. 

They arrived at Alfea a few hours later, Sky's eyes wide as saucers as Saul set him down beside the jeep. "Cool, huh?" All he got was a distracted nod in return. "What do you wanna see first?" There was so much ground to cover, he didn't know if they'd get to it all tonight.

"Everything!" Sky yelled, throwing his hands in the air and suddenly taking off running towards the front door. Shaking his head, Saul sighed and took off after him, leaving all the bags in the jeep. God, he was getting soft in his old age. 

Pushing open the door, Saul watched Sky stand in the entrance and just... take it all in. He had been a teen when he came to Alfea, it was just a huge school with cool magic for him but he couldn't imagine how cool it would look to a kid, seeing how much Sky was enjoying it made him grin.

"All right, kiddo, come on. You're the first new person here so you get to pick your room in the Specialist's dorm first. You can have any room you like unless it is locked." Sky seemed so excited at the idea of a whole room to himself, and who was Saul to stop that first bit of happiness. The kid deserved it. 

After Sky picked out his room, they had walked the hall twice to make sure it was just right, though Saul also thought he picked the room he did because there was a cool dragon on the door, Sky celebrated by bouncing on the bed.

As you do.

Bouncing his head to the tune of each of Sky's bounces, Saul found himself with so many damn questions. How the hell did he have this much energy? What was he supposed to do with this? Is this the kind of thing Ben had to deal with after they abandoned him at night?

Saul was exhausted just watching it. Maybe he needed an adult.

"Wanna go meet Farah now?" Saul asked suddenly. He'd seen her office light on from the drive up, probably as good a time as any to get them introduced. She was an adult. Holding out his hand to Sky, he waited patiently as the kid jumped off the bed and considered his offer for a minute before slipping his smaller hand into Saul's larger one.


	3. Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a shorter chapter today but I'm still just enjoying getting to explore this funny little found family dynamic.

As they walked towards her office, Saul pointed to the odd room or painting, talked about some of the school's history. Told him about cool hiding places. Which days to get the best food. Sky took it all in with fascination, he'd never been to a place like Alfea before. He was excited for the first time in a long time.

As they entered Farah's office, Sky actually said "wow" quietly from behind him. Farah wasn't in the main room but he heard her humming so she was nearby. This place was bigger than he remembered it being, but he also was only usually in there when he was in trouble, which you know, was often but eventually, Rosalind just stopped trying to punish him.

If only to get him the fuck out of her office.

Clearing his throat, Saul called out to his friend. "Hey Far, I'm here. Got some news..." It was nice coming to her with good news this time, usually, he just had all the bad news. Must have the face for it or something.

The soft humming continued from the other room, the clicking of her high heels was the only signal he'd had that she heard him before Farah popped into view and moved towards her desk. She'd clearly been doing some digging as her hands were covered in a thin layer of dirt that was now trying to brush off.

Saul stood there at ease with his arms behind his back, feeling Sky shuffle behind him to make himself less seen. "I know this maybe isn't the right time but uh, this is Sky. Andreas entrusted him to me in the event of his... he's in my care now. I just wanted to let you know before you saw him in the specialist wing."

Leaning against her desk, palms resting against the hardwood, Farah nodded in understanding, biting her lip to hold back any chuckles that were arising. He was so nervous about this. She had heard a rumour about Andreas' son being in some sort of care, it only made sense that he came to them now. Nowhere would be safer and despite everything, they were Andreas' friends, it was only right.

But Saul, next to this kid? He was like a slightly larger child himself. It was funny. 

Nothing needed to be said in front of the boy about his father's untimely passing though. It wouldn’t be fair to cast the sins of the father onto the son and they were not going to allow for it to happen, from anyone. To what she knew, the boy barely knew his father to begin with. He was maybe all of three, four. Andreas was so devoted to the cause…

You couldn't really raise a family while you were risking your life every day.

Ben managed to do it but it wasn’t for everyone. He had them for help after Rose died. Glancing over at Saul, she hoped to get some sort of reading off of him but Saul was giving away nothing on the surface and she wasn't about to pry. Saul was a soldier through and through, now he was being given a child to help raise and that was probably giving him a bit of shock.

Turning her attention to the small blonde boy hiding behind Saul, she smiled and tilted her head to the side to see him. "Hello, Sky. Welcome to Alfea. I'm Headmistress Dowling and this is my school, but you may call me Farah if you like. We're happy to have you here if you decide you'd like to stay..."

Sky peeked out from behind Saul's leg, "I don't have to stay?" He asked quietly, unsure of himself. Sky wasn't used to new places, it was big here and the forest outside seemed scary, but Saul was nice, he reminded Sky of his dad... or what he remembered of him. Still, he didn't want to be somewhere that didn't want him.

"Not if you don't want to, Sky. Alfea is all about choice, if you wish to be here then you are welcome to stay and if you wish to return to where you were, we can do that too. There's no right or wrong answer, I assure you." Unlike her predecessor, Farah was determined _not_ to force someone's hand.

She hummed and thought of an idea, "If you would like to stay with us and think about it for a few days, you can do that too. Our friend Ben and his two children will be arriving in the next day or so. His son is about your age. You might make a friend. It's up to you, Sky. Whatever you like."

Sky just nodded, he understood what she was saying. He didn't like some of the children at his last home but they seemed nice here, maybe the kids would be too. If these two were his dad’s friends then he could probably trust them. "Okay. Thank you."

"We're off to steal some chips from the cafeteria, would you like to join us?" Saul asked suddenly, thinking maybe she could use a break. Also, the chance to just sit with her before everything started getting wild wasn't something to pass up. It would be just like it used to be when it was the four of them.

Farah paused, she still had some work to do but supposed it could wait. She hadn't eaten yet and getting to know Sky would likely be very beneficial. Being at Alfea meant Sky was also now in _her_ care and that coming up with a plan of action for him to help him succeed would be important.

"I think cook may still be up, I'm sure she'll have something for us." Farah beamed, pushing off her desk and walking passed Saul, pausing to look over her shoulder the other two before holding her hand out by her side. "Coming, Sky?" The boy hesitantly pulled away from Saul and walked over to Farah and took her hand.

It was nice and calm at the school and Sky liked that, everything was so hectic where he had been staying, his dad’s friends seemed nice and he thought he was good with seeing people for who they were. Farah’s hand was soft and she was letting him make his own choices, the other's didn't and it meant something that she did. He thought she was nice.

Also, she was right! The cook was there and she did have chips. Sky liked chips. Saul ordered some other things with it and he wasn't sure what they were for but he was just happy with the chips. The three of them sat at the biggest table in the middle of the room, with no one else around, and all the light was coming from the lit candles around the room.

Saul had put all the extra stuff he ordered all over the plate, gravy and cheese, and Farah had just laughed when she saw what the older man was doing. Sky didn't understand why she found it funny, it looked gross and he looked at Farah with the question in his eyes and she smiled at him.

"When your father was with us, sometimes we travelled other realms to help um, defeat the bad guys," Farah started, swallowing the bile that always stirred when she thought about Andreas now, "...once of the places we went to was in the otherworld, in a small city in Canada. We finished our mission ahead of schedule and decided to stay and take in the scenery."

They went to the mountains and saw the snow, wandered into town a few hours later, and spent the entire night just eating and drinking and enjoying each other’s company. It was one of the last missions they had before Aster Dell. Before all of the lies came undone.

One of the last times they were still them. It had felt like everything was still real back then, their friendships, their shared joy, their victories. No Rosalind, no orders. Just the four of them. Part of her really missed it sometimes.

How fucked up was that given their history?


	4. Chapter 4

It seemed like years had passed when in reality it was only a few months ago. Something so horrific that could imprint and twist itself inside them and make everything seem like they were lost in a fog, it made her feel older too. That one day probably aged them a good ten years.

Farah flashed a small but sad smile at Sky and rested her arms on the edge of the table, hands clasped. There were so many places she could begin and yet none of them seemed the right place, Sky deserved to hear about his dad and the good he had done but, they needed to heal first. 

Saul was looking at her like he could read her mind, see her discomfort, and she thought it was funny how the tables turned. It was still a good memory, despite everything. Rosalind couldn't take away from them.

"Saul and your father found this chip shop and for some odd reason we followed them like foolish children. Anyway, in Quebec, they make their chips a little differently and put other things in with it. It's called a poutine and these two, Saul and your father, actual grown men ordered one of every type on the menu." Sky scrunched his nose at the look of it.

Farah leaned closer to Sky over the table and mirrored his movement, "Looks awful, doesn't it? I promise it's actually not awful but some of the types on that menu were quite strange. There was this one covered in eggs that they liked --" Sky pretended to barf at the sound of that one and Farah couldn't help but laugh.

"That is what I said, but this one is a classic to Canadians and it's not bad at all. Just don't tell anyone we gave this to you, it's not good for growing boys. Or anyone who breathes really." She insisted, picking up one of the forks that had been brought to them and speared a few cheese covered fries on the edge of the plate and shoved them into her mouth with an appreciative hum.

Gesturing at the plate with her fork, Saul dug in and then reluctantly, Sky picked up his fork and started picking at fries, finding he also liked them. "Ben's going to be so cross he missed this delicacy you've concocted. How he ate mountains of this stuff is beyond me. Certainly a fun pastime but not a meal you can eat all the time." 

Saul laughed, "he was so sick for days. We all were." Farah tsked him, pointing her fork at him, "I wasn't. Unlike the lot of you, I am not a gluttonous pig. I knew when to stop. When they brought out a Kimchi Poutine, that's where I drew the line. This here is enough, ta." Picking up a small piece of baguette from the side plate, she piled some of the poutine onto it and took a bite.

Sky still had so many questions, Saul said on the ride there that this was a school. So what did they teach? Why was it so big? What was he going to do there? Would there be more chips? He wanted to start with one of the more important questions though, cuz some of the other kids said it was important: "So, are you guys going to be like my new parents now or something?"

Both Farah and Saul nearly started choking at the unexpected question, having not seen that one coming. Both gulped at the waters they had sitting on the table before setting their glasses down. Farah clearly needed a minute so Saul took this one. "No, no, buddy, we're not. We're more like your aunt and uncle. Family is still family, right?"

Resting a hand on her chest, Farah breathed and nodded. "No one could ever replace your parents, Sky, nor would we be able to live up to that, but we will be there for you if and when you need us. Just as Ben, Professor Harvey, will be. You'll never have to worry for anything here, everything will be provided and all we ask is that you try your best."

She continued. "You may call us Auntie Farah and Uncle Saul though, if you like. Or we can find something else, I'm sure your father would have been fine with that." No, he would not, but fuck Andreas of Erakylon. The wound in her was still fresh enough to say that. 

He would have wanted his son to address them by their formal names, or even better, not at all. 

There was a reason Sky wasn't with Andreas, whether it was because he would get in the way or Andreas didn't want to think of him or his mother or... whatever it was, but Sky was with them now and Andreas was not. Perhaps some things were for the better after all. Sky would do well here, Farah thought.

They had a real chance to help him, understand not only his father but himself. Give him hope and strength and love, things he maybe didn’t know much of. That’s what they wanted Alfea to be, what it used to be. Rosalind had tainted that and twisted it into something darker, but it was a new dawn and everything was going to be okay.

Time heals all wounds, as they say.

Just as being a pseudo parent to Terra and Sam helped heal Farah’s wounds over not becoming a parent. Maybe for Saul too.

It wasn’t as if Farah had never thought about having kids, she thought about it every day, but in their line of work it just wasn’t feasible. Maybe if she had done it before becoming part of Rosalind’s little team but even then, it was no place for a child. Just as Sky had learned.

Rosalind was cruel, she just was, even to those she seemed the closest to. She had made them do things not only to each other but to others that would make ones head spin. Farah made a point to never use her powers on others unless necessary.

Her mentor would spend days making her use her magic against her teammates, learning things about them they never would have willingly given up and all the while making them know it was Farah working her way inside their psyches. It was a violation on all sides and it took its toll on them all the longer it went on.

They all understood it wasn’t done by her own will and that knowledge helped them all reconcile with it, just as it had when Ben had been forced to use his abilities and Andreas and Saul had used brute force. It was no place for more children and they knew that, but she was gone now and they were still standing.

Having Sky would be a bit of an adjustment but nothing they couldn’t handle, he had four people who would help him succeed in life and both Farah and Saul were looking forward to seeing him grow.


End file.
